Idol winner to sing at National Memorial Day Concert

This May 20, 2013 photo shows Candice Glover posing for a portrait in New York. Glover is the latest winner on the singing competition series, \'\'American Idol.\'\' (Photo by Dan Hallman/Invision/AP)

WASHINGTON – At the rate she’s going, Candice Glover will be done with her bucket list by the time she is 30.

On Monday, the 23-year-old songbird scratched off “winning American Idol.” She will scratch another item off the list Sunday night when she opens the annual National Memorial Day Concert at the U.S Capitol Building.

“Believe it or not, one of my goals was to sing at the Capitol, sing the national anthem,” Glover says.

Though the Beaufort, S.C., native has been singing since she was 9, Sunday’s performance will be unlike any other.

“I’ve been singing the national anthem for a really long time, but this is like the biggest gig ever,” Glover says. “I’m ecstatic.”

She made herself a glutton for torture for this moment (she was cut in American Idol seasons 9 and 11). But Glover says the constant rejection has only fueled her fire.

“That confidence kind of just came after being cut over and over again,” she says. “You just get that ‘I don’t care attitude,’ in a good way.”

“Music Speaks,” Glover’s debut album, is scheduled for release July 16. Sunday night’s concert starts at 8 p.m. and will air on PBS.